KOCHI:Aesop’s fables are nothing short of legendary. It has charmed, riveted and filled our basic senses with the most delightful moral stories. Closer home and probably more familiar to every Indian are the fabled stories of the brave king Vikramaditya who ruled over the capital of Ujjain.
Retelling these classics in a unique way is Kochi-based Sherylene Rafeeque who has associated with Mango, the children’s publication of DC Books for her maiden project. “I have always loved to write especially for children. And what better way than to start off with stories that have been heard all throughout my childhood,” says the first-time author.
The stories have all been told in a simple and light-hearted manner. “There have been several retellings of children’s literature by many authors. However, we have ensured that the stories were very comprehensive for children,” she said.
According to Sherylene, converting the classics, especially Vikramaditya and Vetal which has themes which are meant for an older audience, was a challenging task. “Aesop’s Fables were a little more easier to convert into capsules for younger children because it is filled with animal characters. However, Vikramaditya was a little more different and very arduous.
“ The stories have a slight adult content and is quite difficult for younger children to comprehend. I needed to handle the topics such as child marriage, dowry and even polygamy, very carefully such that it did not sound abusive for young children. I was subtle but remained very much to the truth because I felt that was my duty as an author. You can’t hide obvious truths from children, especially today, since they are bombarded with a lot of information. It is only important that you remain subtle,” she said.
According to Sherylene, though there have been several retellings and adaptations of these books, many authors have shied away from publishing adult content to young children. “I have had to refer to a lot of books for the adaptation of the work,” she said.